Chapter 29: Look

Raymond doesn't bleach Henry's hair, which is good. I can't imagine him with blonde hair. Maybe a slightly lighter brown, but not white blonde. Too far off from his naturally dark, coffee coloured hair.

After he puts the torture cream on Henry, he pushes me into the hair-washing room and positions me in front of one of the basins. I wait until he's started on the shampoo to say, "Why don't you ask Benjamin out or something? He seems to like you."

Raymond rolls his eyes. "I'm assuming Henry told you about that, then?"

I blush a little. "Yes."

He gives me a look. "Don't you start plotting with him, or I'll have to bleach your hair, too."

"I won't. But I do think he likes you. You should ask him out."

"I could say the same to you."

That catches me off guard. "What?"

Raymond gestures with his head towards the sliding door, where Henry's obnoxious whimpers and whines can be heard (a result of prolonged torture cream). "That boy has never brought anyone home before more than once."

I swallow, finding my mouth dry. "But... he said..."

"He's very private. He gives excuses for lots of things. He figures people out before they can even look at him, and then he moves on before they have a chance to ask him too many questions."

"He says I'm interesting."

"And you are. So interesting that he can't help himself. I'm not obtuse, I've seen how he looks at you. And how you look at him."

"I- I don't... I..." how do I look at him? I mean, yes, he's attractive, but you'd have to be either blind or stupid not to figure that out. And I like being friends with him because he's a lot more interesting than going home and studying for hours on end. But I don't look at him in a particular way.

"I'm just saying," Raymond says as he rinses my hair, "that it's not as simple as it looks. You think that after a year, I might be able to ask Ben out, but..."

I nod a little as he runs a comb through my hair, slicking it back before parting it. He holds my head to keep it still, then pushes me towards the sliding door where Henry's mewling has grown to an elevated pitch. Raymond goes to take it off of him while I try and process what he said.

I mean, it's not like it's really news that Henry's been treating me differently than most of his friends. And I've been wondering for a while if he's been flirting with me. But I've kind of assumed that he's been messing with me or trying to get something from me. Which could be entirely true, to be honest. Just because he likes me, doesn't mean his intentions are pure. He could just want to get me to sleep with him, and then after that he'll be satisfied and disappear. But he also has brought me to his house more than once, and told me his birth name- and we cuddled like, all afternoon yesterday.

The kind of stupefying part of what Raymond said is the part where I like Henry- or, more specifically, look at him in some way that implies that. But I don't think- I mean- I'm not-

I eventually decide that Raymond is basing all of his suspicions off of that appointment last Friday, where Henry was looking at me for a while and I admired him in the mirror for like, one second. But that was only out of surprise, really. Because he never looks like that at school, so that was reasonable and justified. And since Raymond doesn't have sufficient evidence to back up his hypothesis, I shouldn't bother worrying about it.

It's so much harder than it should be.

Especially since I watch him so much more closely now that I have something to watch for. And I also consider everything about five times more awkward, just when things were starting to get comfortable.

Once Raymond finishes with both of us, he pulls up the full length mirror again. Henry hops up excitedly and smirks at his reflection.

"Not bad, not bad at all..." he turns a little and looks over his shoulder to scan his full reflection, pausing about halfway down. I blush a little and avert my eyes. Raymond smacks him and pulls me out of my chair.

"Step aside, Henry, Todd needs to admire himself too."

It's like déjà vu, almost, except I look stylish in a different way than last time. A little less sharp, a little more playful. My eyes flick to Henry, who's wearing a distracted smile as he surveys my appearance. I swallow and take my eyes off of him before I notice how good he looks, and instead look back at myself. I glance at Raymond, who's smirking a little as he looks between me and Henry. I avert my gaze quickly.

"Very, very nice job," Henry says to Raymond, still looking at me. "Even better than last time. Will the quality of the job go up each time?"

"Only if it's Todd."

I blush and don't say anything. Henry smirks.

"Okay."

"Good. You keep him around."

"Boys! Jackie's here!" comes Darla's voice. Henry turns to Raymond.

"I'm going to make a group chat with me, you, and Benjamin, send directions for asking someone that you like out, and then leave."

"I'll bleach your hair."

"I'll get a new stylist."

"No, you'll just pay me extra to dye it back."

"Whatever. Get out."

"Gladly. I'll hopefully see you soon, Todd." He leaves, winking at me when Henry's not looking.

On our way down the hallway to the tutoring room Jackie's apparently waiting in, I duck into his Mario Kart room to grab my homework. Henry waits for me, then closes the door behind me. After a bit more walking, he turns into an open door. I follow, to find that the room is essentially a typical drama room: black floors, black walls, and props and set pieces everywhere. A tall, lithe woman is sitting in a chair about the middle of the room, scrolling through her phone. She looks up when we come in and rolls her eyes.

"Finally. Took you long enough."

"It's a bit of a walk to get here," Henry says unapologetically.

"Fine. Introductions, please."

"I'm Henry, this is Todd. Todd, Jackie. She's my performing arts teacher."

"Nice to meet you, Todd. Are you joining the class or the audience?"

"Um... audience, please." I'm not a performer at all. Me and performing in any way, shape, or form- it's not a good idea.

"Wonderful. Henry, let's go over last week, then."

So he does performance stuff (it's really interesting to know that he takes performing arts. And he seems to be very good at it, too) while I do my homework. It doesn't take me long, since I was pretty much finished everything except the poetry analysis, anyways. I finish my written description and move on to the annotation of the actual poem. Most people like to annotate first, because then they can just talk about the things they annotated in the written part, but the actual annotating is more of a formality for me. I've already identified everything, and now I'm just going through and writing it all down using literary and poetic terminology.

I'm just about finished before he interrupts me.

"Todd!"

I look up. He's smirking.

"Are you watching?"

"No, I'm finishing my poetry analysis."

"Well, watch. This is Shakespeare too, so it's not that different from what you're doing now, anyways."

I could argue that, but I don't bother. I put the assignment to the side instead. He grins and nods to Jackie, who presses the recording button on a camera. He addresses the entire room with a mischievous air.

"Now the hungry lion roars, And the wolf behowls the moon; Whilst the heavy ploughman snores, All with weary task fordone. Now the wasted brands do glow, Whilst the screech-owl, screeching loud Puts the wrench that lies in a woe In remembrance of a shroud. Now it is the time of night, that the graves, all gaping wide, Every one lets forth his sprite, In church-way paths to glide: And we fairies, that do run By the triple Hecate's team From the presence of the sun, Following darkness like a dream, Now are frolic: not a mouse Shall disturb this hallow'd house: I am sent, with broom, before, To sweep the dust behind the door."

Jackie stops the camera and gives Henry a nod. He smirks and looks at me, raising his eyebrows.

"A Midsummer Night's Dream, right?"

"Yeah."

I grin a little. "Puck is a good character for you."

He smirks. "I know. So? What did you think?"

"Very good. Much better than I could do."

"You sure?" He smirks. My eyes widen, and I shake my head. He laughs. I sigh.

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